'''Treebeard''' or ([[Sindarin]]) '''Fangorn''' is the oldest of the [[Ents]], a tree-like being who is a sort of "shepherd of trees". Very tall and stiff-limbed, with bark-like skin and leafy hair, he befriends [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] (Merry) and [[Peregrin Took]] (Pippin) after they escape from [[Orcs]]. He lives in [[Fangorn forest]], which is named after him (or he after it).

'''Treebeard''', also known as '''Fangorn''', was the oldest of the [[Ents]], a tree-like being who was a sort of "shepherd of trees". Very tall and stiff-limbed, with bark-like skin and leafy hair, he befriended [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] ("Merry") and [[Peregrin Took]] ("Pippin") after they escaped from [[Orcs]]. He lived in [[Fangorn Forest]], which was named after him (or he after it).

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Like most Ents, Treebeard takes a long time to make up his mind. He repeatedly speaks of not "being hasty". Treebeard is described as the oldest being in Middle-earth, which is the cause of some confusion as [[Tom Bombadil]] is also called oldest. Treebeard however says that there are trees in Fangorn that are 'older than he'. The general consensus is that Treebeard is the oldest "living thing" in Middle-earth, as Tom Bombadil isn't exactly a member of any race.

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Like most Ents, Treebeard took a long time to make up his mind. He repeatedly spoke of not "being hasty". Treebeard is described along with [[Tom Bombadil]] as the [[eldest|oldest being]] in Middle-earth. Treebeard however said that there were trees in Fangorn that were "older than he".

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It has been theorized that many of Treebeard's mannerisms were based on Tolkien's friend [[C.S. Lewis]], a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence.

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== Etymology ==

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Treebeard is the direct translation of the [[Sindarin]] name ''Fangorn'' (from ''[[fang]]'' = "beard" and ''[[orn]]'' = "tree").

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==Portrayal in adaptations==

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== Inspiration ==

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In [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 animated adaptation of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[John Westbrook]] provided the voice of Treebeard. [[Stephen Thorne]] voiced the character in [[BBC Radio]]'s 1981 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|serialisation]].

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Treebeard was inspired in many ways by [[C.S. Lewis]] including his speech patterns and some aspects of his personality; a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence.{{Fact|date=Sept 2009}}

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In [[Peter Jackson]]'s films ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'' ([[2002 in film|2002]]) and ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'' ([[2003 in film|2003]]), Treebeard is a combination of a large animatronic model and a [[computer generated imagery|CGI]] construct; his voice is performed by [[John Rhys-Davies]], who also plays [[Gimli]].

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== Portrayal in Adaptations ==

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'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''

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:[[John Westbrook]] provides the voice of Treebeard. His actions in the overthrow of Isengard are not mentioned: he merely brings Merry and Pippin to Gandalf.

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{{spoiler}}

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'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''

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In the movie "The Two Towers", the Ents at the Entmoot initially decline Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard is carrying the hobbits through the forest, when Pippin gets an idea. He asks Treebeard to carry them towards [[Isengard]], because that is the last place [[Saruman]] would look for them. When Treebeard gets close to the forest's edge, he sees the devastation wrought by Saruman's orcs. The trees have all been chopped down to serve as fuel for Saruman's war machine. Treebeard then makes a momentous decision, and calls for the other Ents. They attack Isengard and manage to flood it. In the book, Treebeard and the ents decide to attack Saruman without any such coercion.

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:[[Stephen Thorne]] provided the voice of Treebeard.

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[[Image:Treebeard.jpeg|thumb|right|''Treebeard'' in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]]]

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'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''

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:Treebeard is a combination of a large animatronic model and a CGI construct; his voice is performed by [[John Rhys-Davies]], who also plays [[Gimli]].

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:The Ents at the [[Entmoot]] initially decline Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard is carrying the hobbits through the forest, when Pippin gets an idea. He asks Treebeard to carry them towards [[Isengard]], claiming that it is the last place [[Saruman]] would look for them because it puts them so close to danger. Treebeard is initially confused, but ultimately succumbs to Pippin's request. When Treebeard gets close to the forest's edge, he sees the devastation wrought by Saruman's orcs. The trees have all been chopped down to serve as fuel for Saruman's war machine. Treebeard then makes a momentous decision, and calls for the other Ents. They attack Isengard and manage to flood it.

Treebeard, also known as Fangorn, was the oldest of the Ents, a tree-like being who was a sort of "shepherd of trees". Very tall and stiff-limbed, with bark-like skin and leafy hair, he befriended Meriadoc Brandybuck ("Merry") and Peregrin Took ("Pippin") after they escaped from Orcs. He lived in Fangorn Forest, which was named after him (or he after it).

Like most Ents, Treebeard took a long time to make up his mind. He repeatedly spoke of not "being hasty". Treebeard is described along with Tom Bombadil as the oldest being in Middle-earth. Treebeard however said that there were trees in Fangorn that were "older than he".

Contents

Etymology

Treebeard is the direct translation of the Sindarin name Fangorn (from fang = "beard" and orn = "tree").

Inspiration

Treebeard was inspired in many ways by C.S. Lewis including his speech patterns and some aspects of his personality; a loud, bombastic man known for his powerful stride and overwhelming presence.[source?]

Treebeard is a combination of a large animatronic model and a CGI construct; his voice is performed by John Rhys-Davies, who also plays Gimli.

The Ents at the Entmoot initially decline Merry and Pippin's request for help. Treebeard is carrying the hobbits through the forest, when Pippin gets an idea. He asks Treebeard to carry them towards Isengard, claiming that it is the last place Saruman would look for them because it puts them so close to danger. Treebeard is initially confused, but ultimately succumbs to Pippin's request. When Treebeard gets close to the forest's edge, he sees the devastation wrought by Saruman's orcs. The trees have all been chopped down to serve as fuel for Saruman's war machine. Treebeard then makes a momentous decision, and calls for the other Ents. They attack Isengard and manage to flood it.